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25 July 2013

Calling all gluten-free cooks: I need your help! Though this chicken cobbler was fine just the way it was, it would have been fabulous had the sauce stayed as thick after baking as it had been before it went into the oven. It seems some of the gluten-free starches thin out at some point in the baking. I used tapioca flour, which works perfectly in my fruit pies, and the sauce became much thinner during its time in the oven. Any suggestions?

I usually put an all-butter flaky pastry crust on my chicken pies, but I had a package of gluten-free biscuit mix on hand and was eager to try it. That's when I thought of cobbles. Looks pretty cute, huh? Tasty, too. And the topping, as well as the filling, reheated well the next day. I love leftovers!Of course, it's easy to make gluten-free biscuits (though I haven't posted my recipe yet). If you're not gluten-free, you can use one of these biscuit recipes for the topping: Homemade Biscuits or Buttermilk Biscuits Made with Buttermilk Powder.A gluten-free diet has (at least, so far) not done for me what I had hoped it might, but I'm going to stick to it for the entire month. If I don't notice a difference by the end of the month, perhaps I'll try a dairy-free month next. But I'll continue to develop the occasional gluten-free recipe for friends. So do, please, give me your gluten-free tips in a comment below.
Chicken Cobbler

1 In 12-inch skillet, heat oil. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; brown on both sides, cooking for a total of 20 to 30 minutes or until done. If you prefer your pies with shredded chicken, shred it now using two forks. If you prefer diced, set the chicken aside to cool a bit for neater dice. (Or you can use 2 1/2 cups or so of leftover shredded or diced cooked chicken, in which case you would skip this step.)

2 In same skillet, melt butter and saute onion for 3 minutes, scraping up the brown bits from cooking the chicken. Add bell peppers; saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper; saute for 5 minutes.

3 In a small bowl, stir the tapioca flour and broth to a smooth slurry and stir it into the vegetables. Stir in the cream and sherry; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken and, if using, the peas. Adjust seasoning.

4 In medium bowl, add butter to baking mix. With your fingers or a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the cold butter
until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some bigger chunks remaining. Pour on the milk and gently mix until just combined.

5 Using a #60 (1/2 ounce / 1 tablespoon) scoop to form "cobbles," scoop the dough onto the chicken filling. Wetting the scoop from time to time will make the dough release more easily. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling is bubbling.

16 comments:

However there is a use of the word. "cobbler," over here that might not go down well on your side of the Atlantic, Jean.

If you hear anybody say ,"cobblers," it is such a mild expletive people just laugh. It is taken as a joke.

OK I am going to now reveal the dictionary definition. Those with a sensitive disposition please look the other way.

cobblers (ˈkɒbləz)

— pl n1. rubbish; nonsense: a load of old cobblers2. See testicle another word for testicles

— interj3. an exclamation of strong disagreement

usage The use of cobblers meaning "nonsense" is so mild that hardly anyone these days is likely to be offended by it. Most people are probably unaware of its rhyming-slang association with ``balls'', and therefore take it at its face value as a more colourful synonym for ``nonsense''. The classic formulation "a load of (old) cobblers" seems to be particularly popular in the tabloid press

I make a dish like this a lot. It is one of my families favorite dishes. I have wondered how to make it gluten-free. I will have to try the cobblers. I wonder if the GF Bisquick would work. I haven't seen the mixes you spoke of. My biggest problem is finding a substitute for cream of mushroom soup. For that matter anything in that category with the soups. They seem to hold it all together. I have tried a GF cream of mushroom soup and it was nasty.I have been GF for 3 years because of a positive biopsy. My blood work was negative. I really don't notice a big difference until I go off of it. Give it a bit longer. Good luck. Thanks for sharing.

Debby, thanks! Do let me know if you find a suitable substitute for the soup. I'm wondering if maybe potato starch would hold up through the baking and keep the sauce thick? I'm glad you're doing well on the diet!

Your Chicken Cobbler looks elegant and good for any day family dinner or serve with companies. I always afraid to try GF breads/dough as I've heard not so nice things about them. Glad to know these tastes great. I've gotta try them on my next friends gatherings cos some of them are on straight GF diet. Thanks for sharing.

This dish looks fabulous, Jean! I'm sorry it didn't turn out exactly like you wanted, it's definitely a bit disappointing when that happens! And I'm also sorry to hear the gluten free diet isn't working like you hoped. I admire you for sticking with it though :)

Hi, Greg! I've had a sinus/throat kinda thing going on for the last several years and one of my gluten-free friends suggested I see if going off gluten would help. It hasn't! But I'm sticking with it until August 1. Then maybe in October I'll try going dairy-free for a month and see if that helps.

Soooo-o…you’ve come to me at last for help (as I knew you would). Heh-heh-heh. Yes, yes, it could be that I have a suggestion or two…yes, I think I do, I do. I do, indeed. First, you must add sugar. Lots of sugar. Sugar is a thickener. I mean, look what it does to the arteries. And then of course there’s butter – butter is better than batter. And that’s it. Simple, eh? Chocolate is optional. And I’ve never tried ice cream, but why not? A few scoops in the mix can’t hurt, especially if it has Saunders hot fudge over it. No need to thank me. Tut-tut.

Your friend Grant from Oz is still concerned about your eating habits! But I must admit, just before I sat down and posted this comment, I had a sweet chocolate treat myself - a cup of hot chocolate, made I'm sure with significantly less sugar than you would have used, but nevertheless ...

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Here you'll find original recipes that warm the body and the soul, recipes of the sort to become a family tradition in your family as well as mine. And I go outside the purview of food blogs with the occasional article about tea, wine and travel.